Emerald Darkness
by goddessofheaven
Summary: Two beings meet in the darkness, and their lives are forever changed. The darkness becomes their refuge, but at the same time, it brings them closer to the dangers that seek to destroy them.. SxS, ExT
1. In the Rain

Hello, everyone! This is my first attempt at fanfiction, so please bear with me! All reviews will be greatly appreciated (even flames, I guess? sniff if you really think it's that bad…) Haha, anyway, this has absolutely nothing to do with the actual story of CCS, ok? Also, this first chapter might be kinda dark or something, but it'll get better in the next few chapters, promise!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: sighs Unfortunately, CCS is not mine…

Chapter 1: In the Rain

Torrential rain fell heavily over the small town of Tomoeda, robbing it of the stars and the moon and filling it with nothing but the sound of raindrops falling nosily over rooftops and the cold pavement. Anyone in his right mind would have sought shelter immediately, but of course there are a few who are just too eager to reach the comfort of their own homes that they decide to brave the storm and run as fast as their cold, wet feet could take them.

And on a night like this, when there are hardly any people about, these poor brave souls easily become prey to criminals.

A man who looked to be in his early thirties ran as fast as he could in the rain, stopping every once in a while under any sort of roof to catch his breath. '_Only two more blocks left..._' he thought, as he squeezed some water out of his fully soaked cloak uselessly with one hand. In the other, he carried a plastic file case, which he initially used to protect at least his head, but proved to be of little use after a few minutes under the rain. Breathing deeply, he prepared for the final stretch that would lead him to the cozy confines of his apartment. He started to run again, but he was only able to make six steps before a hand unceremoniously pulled at his cloak and slammed him against the wall of a narrow alley.

His immediate reaction was to clutch his throbbing head, which hit the wall pretty hard, but a hand quickly caught his neck in a death grip. He dropped his file case and clutched at the attacker's hand, and he was finally able to take a good look at the man for the first time. His attacker was probably a few years older than he was. He was a lot taller, and under his unkempt clothes was a much more muscled body than his. On his attacker's other hand other hand was a small but sharp knife, which was pointed straight at his face.

"W-what do you want? Please l-let me go!" Very unmanly of him to shake and stutter like that, but the situation rattled him severely. It was his life on the line here, and this man could very well kill him at any moment.

"Alright, mister. Just gimme all yer money and I'll let you go. You can take off that watch of yours, too. Do it!"

The attacker loosened his grip on the man a little, and the man held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, I'll do it!" His shaking hands reached over to the right pocket of his wet slacks. _Shit_. His wallet wasn't there. He searched his left pocket. Wasn't there either. _Shit, shit, shit!_

"What the fuck is takin' so long! Give it to me or I'll twist your guts with this knife!"

He was frantically searching through every pocket of his slacks and his coat, but he couldn't find his wallet anywhere. _Dammit! I must've left it at my desk drawer in the office!_ With pure terror in his eyes, he faced the robber and made a motion with his hands signifying he had nothing. "I.. I – I don't have it w-with me! I l-left it at the office! Please just let me go!"

The robber shoved him against the wall violently and started choking him again. "You fucking bastard, what do you mean you don't have it! Give it to me NOW!"

"B-but I really don't have it, I-I'm sorry! I – "

"Well if you ain't gonna be any use to me I might as well just kill you!"

_Shit, I'm going to die! _The robber held his knife above his head and was about to stab the shaking man. The next thing he knew, he fell down into the cold, wet pavement with his attacker lying unconscious beside him. Although he didn't know what happened and his head was throbbing, he stood up quickly and found himself facing another person wearing a hooded black cloak. He couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman because besides the dark sky and the fog created by the rain, the person's face was completely hidden by a hood. The only thing he could say for certain was that the person was definitely shorter than he was.

Although he was still badly shaken from the events, he knew this person just saved him from imminent death. "T-thanks a lot! What can I ever do to repay – "

He never got to finish his sentence because the cloaked figure took off its hood, and in an instant, he found himself staring at two hypnotizing, emerald orbs that seemed to shine in the dark night. For some reason, he couldn't move.. couldn't speak.. couldn't look away. All he saw were those bright emeralds that seemed to be placing him in some sort of trance he felt more than willing to let himself drift in to..

A hand came up in front of his face and slowly touched his forehead. Through his fogged senses, he felt as though he was being touched by ice. The hand slowly made its way down his face, closed his eyes, and caressed his cheek.

He heard the most enchanting female voice whisper in his ear, "Sleep… and forget.."

No longer in control of his senses, he fell against the wall behind him with a thud and slid against it to land on the pavement on his side. He was breathing evenly, and he had such a relaxed expression on his face as if he was sleeping on a comfortable bed instead of the cold ground.

The cloaked figure left him there and returned her attention to the robber, who was still unconscious. Blood from the gash on his eyebrow her punch made trailed down from his face and mixed with rainwater. The sight of the red liquid stirred something within her, and she hurriedly got hold of the robber's arm and threw him over her shoulders effortlessly. A small trail of blood was still coming out of the robber's wound, and faster than another drop could fall to the ground, the two disappeared from the dark, narrow alley, leaving the sleeping man behind.

In just a few seconds the little splotch of blood on the ground was washed away by the heavy rains, which continued well into the night.

AN: Pretty short, I know, but this is just an introduction! The next chapters will be longer! Anyway.. liked it? Hated it? Please tell meeee!


	2. First Encounters

Hi again! Here's the second chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: CCS is not mine, duh!

Chapter 2: First Encounters

_Another boring day of boring lectures and tons of homework…_

Li Syaoran sighed as he opened his eyes and lazily got up from his warm, cozy bed. He stretched a little then proceeded to the bathroom to brush his teeth and take a bath. Afterwards, he wrapped a towel around his waist, looked at his reflection in the mirror, and sighed again. _Ugh.. I look like shit…_ He had been up all night finishing a paper for his Philosophy class, which gave him large bags under his eyes. However, it hardly marred his striking and handsome appearance. His chestnut brown hair was in disarray and sticking out in all directions, but it only served to give him a sexy out-of-bed look. He had a well-toned and muscular body thanks to soccer practice and his training sessions at the dojo just a few blocks from his place. However, the most noticeable and mesmerizing feature of his was his eyes. They were a striking golden-amber color that seemed to be able to look into any other person's soul, but never revealed his own.

Because of his handsome features and athletic build, it was natural for girls to flock all over him and try to get him to notice them. However, he never paid any attention. The only things he ever said to them were 'Sorry' or 'No thanks', and for the more persistent ones, he just had to give them a glare or two. His cold attitude scared and challenged the female population of his school, and told the male population to just back off and not mess with him. Besides irritation and sometimes anger, he hardly ever showed any other emotion to people. He was a completely guarded individual that continuously scared, challenged, and mystified his schoolmates.

He lived alone in a small but luxurious apartment his mother provided for him after he graduated from high school. It was just two blocks away from his school, Tomoeda University. At nineteen years old, he was a sophomore and already co-captain of the soccer team. In all his classes, he was doing quite well, and his report cards were always filled with A's and B+'s. So he was handsome, he was athletic, he was rich, and he was intelligent. The dream of all his female schoolmates.

Dressed comfortably in jeans and a green cotton shirt, Syaoran ate a quick breakfast of cereals, got his schoolbag and overcoat, and headed out. There was a chill in the air when he walked out of his apartment building and into the sidewalk, and the sky was overcast, hiding the morning sun's warmth. Most everything was still pretty wet from last night's storm. All around Syaoran people walked by carrying umbrellas and raincoats and looked a bit gloomier than usual. It seems the bad weather was affecting the townspeople's mood as well.

Syaoran walked all the way to his first class in silence. He got there a few minutes before the bell, so most of his classmates were chattering away in groups, probably talking about what they did over the weekend. He walked up to the last row and sat down, not bothering to greet the person beside him. He just went over his notes in silence and after a few minutes, the professor entered the classroom so all the students went back to their proper seats.

Life for Syaoran Li was like this everyday. No matter how popular he was, he was a loner, and he preferred it that way. Since he was young, when he was still living in Hong Kong with his family, he was taught that emotions and needless associations with other people only served as a distraction and can possibly lead to a person's downfall. Therefore, he learned to be tough and to hide his emotions well. It was what was asked of him if he wanted to be the future leader of their clan.

After all his classes were done, Li attended soccer practice which was until 5pm. Afterwards, he headed for home immediately. Thankfully, it didn't rain the whole day. The skies had cleared up around noon and now, the setting sun cast an orange hue on the whole city.

He entered his apartment building and went straight to the elevators. He pressed the button for the 8th floor and waited silently as the elevator made its way up. Once there, he got his keys from his pocket, opened the door and turned on the lights. It was a small but plush apartment with a well-furnished living room, a small kitchen, a bathroom and one bedroom. The apartment's furnishings and decorations were very minimalist since Syaoran preferred it that way. The living room and kitchen were painted in white, and all the furniture had metal frameworks with brown or beige upholstery. The only noticeable ornament in the living room was an abstract painting done in black, green, and gold colors. Whenever Syaoran had nothing to do, he sometimes found himself staring at it, at the brush strokes and the way the colors blended and complimented one another. Nobody knew, but he liked this painting a lot. He actually found it in a flea market a year ago, and he bought it immediately. Besides the painting, there were just the television set, DVD player, stereo, and a tall bookshelf filled with all kinds of books.

He tossed his coat and schoolbag on the couch and proceeded to the kitchen. Soccer practice sure made him hungry. He fixed up some lemon chicken and rice then headed over to the living room to watch some TV while he ate. He plopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV, which was set on a news channel. Finding it boring, he was about to change the channel when the female newscaster's words caught his attention.

"At 5am this morning, two garbage men found the body of a man inside a dump truck as they were unloading it. Investigators confirmed the man's identity to be one Takashiro Kanzaki, and according to the police, the man had already been arrested six times in the past for robbery. Cause of death is yet to be determined. According to medical examiners, the only wounds to be found on his body were a 2-inch gash on his left eyebrow and some sort of bite mark on his neck. They said that such wounds could hardly be the cause of death due to blood loss, but shockingly, the victim lost an enormous amount of blood."

While the newscaster talked, video clips of the body's retrieval was shown, but the face was blurred. The newscaster continued. "The victim's estimated time of death was 9pm. In light of this event, the Tomoeda District Police are asking civilians to be more cautious and alert when out in the streets, and as much as possible, to be off the streets by nighttime."

Syaoran didn't hear whatever else the newscaster said after that since he was lost in his own thoughts. Bite mark? Blood loss? It was too much of a coincidence. He stood up and headed over to his bookshelf, scanning each row of books for the one he was looking for. He had always doubted their existence, always telling his family that it was probably one of the very few things their greatest ancestor got wrong. There was no proof of their existence, nothing in any kind of history book to indicate that they are real. _Ah, here it is_. He took out from the shelf a very old-looking book that had the symbol of the sun and moon on its cover. He gently opened the pages and stopped at a page that talked about..

"Vampires.." Syaoran muttered out loud to himself while he slowly scanned the contents of the page. The author talked about his theories on the species' unknown origins, how they looked like, how they were different from normal humans, what they did, and all other kinds of things. In the end, the author called vampires 'the undead' – beings that were struggling between the realms of the living and the dead, forever to roam in the shadows. He talked of his despair and pity for these beings, and how tragic it was that no magic could do anything to help.

Syaoran closed the book and turned to the back cover, where at the bottom was written the name 'Clow Reed'. _I guess you were right… They do exist_. Clow Reed was the name of their clan's greatest ancestor, and he is the most well known sorcerer in all magic-wielding families. He is said to have been the greatest and most powerful sorcerer of all time, and none could compare to his magic.

His ability to wield magic was passed on, and it served as a great factor in the success and power of the Li Clan today. This was why Syaoran had been training constantly since he was a little kid. He had to be strong, not only to manage the inheritance of the clan's business empire, but to act as the clan's ultimate protector as well. Physical, mental, and magical strength was needed to take on such a hard task.

"So vampires really do exist, huh?" He said to no one in particular as he placed the book back in its place. What did he have to do with this newfound knowledge, though? It didn't really make any difference. He was the only one in their family that doubted Clow Reed's words in the first place. All the other members of his family had accepted the fact that vampires exist although they've never seen one or been given any proof of their existence. It's not like they posed a threat to his clan, right? It seemed that vampires were very secretive beings if they'd been able to keep out of sight for such a long time. _Why the sudden slip, though?_ Syaoran thought, referring to the news. _The vampire must've just gotten clumsy_.

Discarding all thoughts of vampires from his mind, Syaoran got his schoolbag from the couch and went inside his room. The walls were painted green, his favorite color. To the left were his personal computer and some cabinets for his clothes and other belongings. His bed was to the right, and straight ahead was a sliding door that led to the balcony. It had a wonderful view of the city, and he could even see his school from there. He loved sitting down on the railing and staring up at the stars whenever he was tired or there was simply nothing else to do.

He changed into a pair of comfy green shorts and a white cotton shirt, turned on his computer and proceeded to do his homework. By 10pm, he was only around halfway done with the last paper he had to do and he was getting sleep so he decided to go to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. As he reached into a shelf to get the container of instant coffee, he noticed that it was empty.

_Darn it.. No way am I gonna finish that paper without some coffee! I can't cram this tomorrow morning! Guess I'll just head down to the convenience store and buy some. It's just a short walk, anyway. _

This in mind, Syaoran got his coat and some money from his wallet and went out of his apartment. The moment he got out of the building the chilly night air hit him and he buried his hands inside his coat pockets. It was very dark out already so there were hardly any people out in the streets. Only one or two cars passed by every few minutes. Not feeling scared at all, Syaoran walked silently to the convenience store just a street away from his place. In just five minutes he was able to get there and buy some coffee. He was on his way back to his apartment when some sudden movements in an alleyway across the street caught his eye.

With the help of a nearby streetlamp, he could see the silhouette of two people in the narrow alley. He noticed some quick upper body movements, and suddenly, one of them was being held by the other on the neck and pinned high against the wall. Thinking that the person against the wall was being robbed or something, Syaoran immediately walked across the street silently and peered around a building and into the dark alleyway.

From where he was, he could tell the person being choked was a woman. And he noticed that her feet were dangling high above the ground, so he knew he should act soon. As he silently moved to get closer to the two, he heard the attacker, who was a male, speak.

"You fool.. Your insolence will bring nothing but misfortune upon your house. If you know what's good for you and your friends, you'd do as I say!" At this, he tightened his grip on the woman's neck even more, if that was possible. Syaoran had seen enough. With lightning fast movements, he threw a roundhouse kick that connected with the attacker's head. The man immediately let go of the woman, who fell down to the ground weakly. The attacker didn't fall down, though. He just stood there, seemingly shocked that someone interrupted them and actually landed a kick on him. He turned his head to glare at Syaoran, and Syaoran felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of the man's eyes.

They were a fierce, blood red color that seemed to shine in the darkness. It was a startling contrast to his midnight black hair, but it complemented his tall six-foot frame well.

In an eerie, unearthly voice, the man spoke to Syaoran, "How dare you interrupt us and attack _me_, human." He started to walk towards Syaoran slowly. "The penalty for such actions will be your life!" At that, Syaoran's eyes widened as he saw the man's canines elongate and form into fangs. _Jeezus.. is this the vampire from last night! _Any other thoughts were cut short as the man lunged forward in lightning speed to attack him. At the back of his mind he reminded himself that he couldn't use magic because the woman would see. Being the great fighter that he was, Syaoran was able to sidestep just in time to dodge the man's left hand punch. However, he wasn't quick enough to avoid the man's right hand, which sliced at his left arm with elongated, razor-sharp fingernails. With quick movements he was able to land a kick on the man's belly and sending him off-balance before Syaoran jumped back and held his wounded arm. The blood was starting to trail down to his hand.

The man stood up as if he didn't get hurt at all and started to laugh. "It's been a while since I preyed on a human who actually fought back. Unfortunately this is the end for you."

He was about to attack Syaoran again but the woman interjected his path before he could land an attack. She punched him hard, which sent him flying and landing a few feet away. _She's strong. Don't tell me she's…_ The woman turned her head a little, but it was enough for Syaoran to see that she, too, had fangs. He looked down at her fingers. She had the same sharp claws as the other man. _Shit.. What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

The woman hissed warningly. "Leave now, Aidan. You will _not_ get what you want."

The man laughed as he wiped some blood from the side of his mouth. "Maybe not now, my dear. But soon… Soon you will regret having done this." Syaoran just blinked, and suddenly, the man was no longer there. He was gone in a split second without a trace or sound.

The woman hadn't turned back to him yet. She was still facing the spot the other man just left. Syaoran heard her say in a teasing, angelic voice, "You're a foolish man, you know. Brave, but foolish."

Syaoran, thinking that the woman was going to attack him as well, quickly went into a fighting stance. "Who or _what_ the hell are you?"

The woman giggled. "I think you already know the answer to that, don't you?" She turned around and Syaoran kept himself ready, but the moment the woman looked at him her eyes went wide a little and she stiffened. Syaoran was standing just at the end of the narrow alley, and the light from the streetlamp outlined his frame just enough for his face to be visible. It was the first time that night that she took a good look at him, and she felt her breath caught in her throat. _It can't be…_ She scanned him completely from his feet up to his face, and settled to stare into his piercing amber eyes, which were fixed on her with confusion and mistrust.

As the woman stood there stiffly, Syaoran eyed her warily and was quite surprised to see how beautiful the woman was. She seemed to be just about his age. She was very slender, and she was wearing boots, black pants, and a tight black t-shirt. She had layered hair that reached past her shoulders, and with the help of the streetlamp he saw that it had an auburn color. Her beauty was ethereal, and he found himself most entranced by her striking emerald eyes. Like the other man's, her eyes seemed to shine in the darkness. The moment he looked at them, he felt as if he had some sort of connection with her.. like he knew her..

His train of thought was cut short when he heard the woman whisper something he couldn't quite hear. "Xiao Lang…"

Syaoran stiffened. "What did you say?"

As if snapping out of a trance, the woman shook her head a little bit. "Nothing." She took a step forward but stopped when she saw Syaoran only tensed up his fighting stance at her actions. She stood there, still gazing at him with a look on her face that Syaoran couldn't quite understand. It was like she had this realization.. like she knew something momentous and kept it to herself.

"I should be thanking you, human. Although I think I could have handled that situation on my own, you still risked your life to save me. Thank you."

She smiled at him then, and it lit up her face and her eyes beautifully. He had a hard time processing the fact that someone so beautiful.. someone who looked so innocent, was actually a vampire. _Looks can be deceiving_.., he thought. If her attack earlier was any indication, this woman was extremely powerful. His kick hardly did anything to faze the other vampire earlier, but one punch from her sent him flying a few feet away. She was not to be trusted, and so he kept himself at a fighting stance despite the woman's thanks.

"I thought you were being robbed. Were you people responsible for that dead man found in the dumpster this morning?" He was glaring at her, and her smile faded at his words.

She sighed. "Unfortunately, yes.. That was me. No one should have found the body, but things got complicated.." For a moment she seemed lost in her own thoughts, then she looked up at him again with a sad smile on her face. "It's a long story. Now…" She took another step forward while Syaoran kept still in his fighting stance while glaring at her.

"I should be putting you to sleep right now, you know. And when you wake up, you wouldn't remember a thing. But this situation is… different." She took another step forward.

Syaoran's glare darkened. "Don't you take another step."

The woman pouted. "I'm not going to hurt you. Besides, that wound of yours is bleeding pretty badly. Let me take a look at it."

It was only then that he remembered he had three long gashes in his left arm. At the reminder of it, he started to feel how painful it was. And she was right; he was losing a lot of blood. He glared at her for a few seconds as if battling with his mind whether he should trust her or not. It was then that he noticed she was holding a hand over stomach. His eyes slowly slid to the floor, where a small pool of blood was slowly forming around her right foot. He didn't notice at all that she was wounded or that she was losing a lot of blood as well. He could hardly see the blood because of her black clothes, but also, she hardly showed that she was in pain.

The woman seemed to understand what he thinking and waved a hand in front of her. "Oh, this is nothing. Don't worry about me. You do realize by now what I am, right?" Syaoran nodded. "Well, our bodies have excellent healing capabilities. These wounds will be gone in no time. Right now I'm worried about you." She smiled at him again and finally took the last few steps to stand in front of him. Syaoran only stood there, seemingly hypnotized by her smile and her eyes.

Her smile brightened up even more. "Now let me take a look at your arm." That said, she gently took his right hand in hers and raised it up, while her other hand rested atop his wounds. The minute her hands touched him, he flinched. Her hands were as cold as ice! It seemed so out of place with her bright and warm attitude. If she noticed him flinch, she didn't show any reaction.

"This will only take a minute." The woman said as she closed her eyes. Suddenly, a pinkish light was emitted from her hand, and it started to envelope the wounded area of his arm. As opposed to her icy hands, the aura was surprisingly warm. He felt a great power transferring from her body to his, and suddenly, his wound wasn't hurting anymore. He looked at it and was amazed to see that the gashes were healing and closing on their own until they finally disappeared completely. She let go of him, and he examined his left arm with amazement. No wound. No scar. It was as if there never was a wound in the first place.

He glanced up at her and she smiled. "All better."

He was unable to stop a slight tint of red from appearing on his cheeks. Thankfully, it was dark so she couldn't see. Finally, he muttered, "T-thanks."

The smile never seemed to falter from her face. "It was the least I could do after what you did. But I must warn you never to do that again. Beings like him are much too dangerous." She said, referring to the other vampire they fought a while ago.

Suddenly, she started walking back into the alley. "And now I must leave. It was nice meeting you again." Silently to herself, she added, "Finally…"

With those words, she disappeared just as quickly as the other vampire did.

"What the…" Syaoran stared at the now empty alleyway, lost in his own thoughts. That had been one of the most bizarre experiences he's ever had. Finding out that afternoon that vampires really existed.. and on the same day meeting not just one, but _two_ of them. Seeing that there was nothing more to do there, he started walking back to his apartment. He couldn't help but think about that strange female vampire. If he didn't see her fangs, he wouldn't have guessed at all that she was a vampire. She just seemed too… innocent. The way she looked (besides the clothes), the way she spoke, the gentle way she touched him, the way she smiled... Syaoran mentally berated himself at that. _She's a vampire__ you fool!_

He was replaying the whole event in his mind when her last words suddenly rung in his head. _It was nice meeting you again. _Syaoran's forehead creased. _Again? But I've never even met her before. And…_ Syaoran stopped walking and looked up at the clear night sky.

_..I didn't even get to know her name.._

AN: There you go! Liked it! Hated it! Please review!

What happens now! Will Syaoran ever find out the mysterious vampire's name? Find out in the next chapter!


	3. Bittersweet Memory

Here's chapter 3! This is quite long (well, a lot longer than the first two chapters).. The flow of the story is actually becoming longer than I originally planned it to be. But whatever. I'm enjoying writing it anyway. Hope you enjoy reading it!

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, it ain't mine!

Chapter 3: Bittersweet Memory

"Welcome home, Mistress Sakura."

Sakura smiled up at the butler, Wei, as he opened the massive oak front doors for her. This big, luxurious mansion she was in has been in the possession of vampires for many years. Although she considered it home, she would sometimes be gone for years on end, traveling around and visiting other places. Together, she and her friends owned the largest blood bank in this region of Japan, which is how they obtained an enormous amount of wealth and sustained their luxurious lifestyle, although if it were only up to Sakura, she'd have all of them live in a simple house. However, the mansion did have its advantages. It was located at the edge of the city so only fields and forests surrounded them. The nearest houses were around a mile away, which more or less ruled out the possibility of someone accidentally seeing something they shouldn't see.

Also, the mansion was _huge_. There were only about five or so vampires living there right now including her, plus the maids and butlers. There were a lot of guest rooms that they kept ready for times when other vampires would seek shelter, or when they had visitors. Besides these, she and her friends were able to build underground rooms where they slept during the day to make sure that no sunlight reached them.

The mansion was lavishly decorated with antique art, chandeliers, and furnishings. Upon entering one would immediately see a grand staircase that led to the second floor, where all the bedrooms were located. In the first floor, there were many different function rooms, the living room, entertainment room, dining room, kitchen, library, and office. At the back of the mansion was a vast garden filled with plants and flowers of all kinds and colors. An old fountain was located there near the house, and a little ways away was a lovely gazebo. In the northeast end was a small barn where they housed five magnificent horses. They sometimes used the horses to go beyond their garden territory and into the forest. Truly, their home looked like it was taken out of an old English storybook.

From the entrance, Sakura walked straight to another set of oak doors that led to the huge dining room. From the dining room, there were glass doors that led to the garden. As she got outside, she looked around as if searching for somebody, and finally found a figure walking back towards the mansion from a distance. She sat down on a railing and waited as the figure approached her.

Sakura smiled when the figure was near enough for her to see clearly. It was a man much taller than Sakura, with short, dark blue hair and navy blue eyes. He was wearing a button down black shirt that emphasized his pale complexion and khaki pants. Just by looking at Sakura, he already noticed something different about her. Her smile was wider and brighter than usual, and her eyes revealed to him a deep happiness that he had never seen there before.

"You seem pretty happy tonight. Care to tell me why?" The man said, the smile never leaving his face as he stood directly in front of Sakura. Suddenly he noticed her slightly torn t-shirt and a frown immediately replaced his smile. "What the hell happened?" He asked in a serious tone.

The smile on Sakura's face faltered. "It's him again.." It was all the explanation the man needed. He clenched his fists at his side at Sakura's words, and a look of pure hatred crossed his eyes. Seeing the effect her words had on her friend, Sakura immediately waved a hand in front of her as if to dismiss the topic. "Don't worry, Eriol, I'm perfectly fine! Besides, someone came to help me…" At that, a certain light seemed to shine in her eyes that the man named Eriol noticed immediately.

Eriol decided to set aside the topic of her attacker in the meantime. He was curious about this person who helped her. He arched an eyebrow. "A human?"

Sakura kept staring straight ahead and smiling. "Mm-hmm."

Eriol placed a thumb on his chin as if he was in deep thought. "Very brave of him to help you, but.. Aidan was there, right?"

"Yeah, but before that man came Aidan and I had been fighting for a while already. Aidan tried to kill him, but after I landed a pretty good punch on his face he decided to leave."

"I see.. So after he left, I assume you erased this human's memories of the event?"

Sakura looked down. "Um.. Actually.."

At her hesitant words, Eriol stood up wide-eyed. "You didn't! Why! Sakura, how can you be so careless! This isn't like you at all."

Sakura decided to stand up as well and face Eriol. She shook her head. "But Eriol, you don't understand! It's _him_! I'm sure of it! I finally found him!"

Eriol's brow furrowed in confusion. "Him? I don't understand.. Who is he?"

Sakura looked up at the stars with a faraway look on her face. "The man I've been telling you about for hundreds of years.."

x-x-x-x-x

The bell rung, signaling the end of Syaoran's last class for the week. He packed up his notebook and books and headed out of the lecture hall in silence. Their soccer coach told them yesterday that they wouldn't be practicing today because he had a seminar to attend to in a neighboring town. So now Syaoran didn't have anything to do but go home.

As he walked through the hallways, he heard a male voice calling his name. He looked back and saw his classmate and teammate, Yamazaki, walking quickly to catch up to him. Yamazaki was one of the few people he could remotely call a friend. They had known each other since middle school and had been classmates most of the time. Although he was a total joker and ladies man, which meant they were complete opposites, Syaoran thought Yamazaki was a good friend. He hung out with him and some of his other friends sometimes, and they'd go out partying or drinking.

"Hey, Syaoran!" Yamazaki said in greeting as he finally caught up with him.

"Yamazaki, what's up?" Syaoran asked as he resumed walking with Yamazaki beside him.

"Well, some of us guys from the soccer team decided to go out tonight and have some fun. You gotta come with us, man!"

Syaoran kept silent for a while, thinking about it. _It's a Friday night, anyway, and I have nothing to do.. Might as well._ He turned to Yamazaki. "Sure. I'll go."

Yamazaki punched him lightly in the arm. "Good! I thought I'd have to spend fifteen minutes again just to persuade you. Man, I hope there'll be a lot of hot girls in the club tonight!"

Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "Don't you already have Chiharu?"

Yamazaki scratched his head. "Ahehe.. Yeah, I do. Don't get me wrong, Syaoran. I love Chiharu a lot! I was gonna say that if there are gonna be lots of hot girls, maybe you could hook up with one, eh, Syaoran?" Yamazaki wiggled his eyebrows and elbowed Syaoran.

Syaoran's face remained blank. "Not interested, Yamazaki."

Yamazaki stopped in his tracks, and Syaoran, who had already taken a few steps ahead, stopped as well and looked back at him. Yamazaki had on this shocked expression on his face with one hand over his mouth and the other pointing at Syaoran. "Syaoran.. are you telling me… that you're… GAY?"

Syaoran just had to punch him at that. "Stupid! I'm not gay, you idiot!"

"Ouch!" Yamazaki rubbed his head. "I was only kidding, man! But anyways, it'd be a real surprise if I see you hook up with someone, ya know! So many girls are fawning over you, and you just ignore them! Oh, the shame!"

"Whatever. I don't care about them."

Yamazaki shook his head in disapproval. "Tsk tsk.. Anyway, Syaoran, I gotta go! Let's meet up in front of Temple Bar at 8, okay?"

"Sure."

With that, Yamazaki walked away towards the dorms while Syaoran continued walking towards the school gates. He just felt like he needed a night out to relax and unwind. It had been a hell week for him filled with long tests, readings, and paper deadlines. Besides, he needed to keep his mind off of a certain emerald-eyed girl…

Syaoran shook his head as if to clear away another image of the mysterious girl. Ever since that weird encounter last Monday night, that female vampire's face had been constantly popping into his head. Maybe it was because the experience was really rattling for him. After all, it's not everyday you encounter vampires. Or maybe it was because she had been such a mystery. Her final words confused him, and he didn't even know her name. It was also because Syaoran felt there was something different with her.. something familiar..

Syaoran snorted to himself. _Different? And then _familiar_? That's kinda ironic don't you think?_ he thought to himself. _Yeah, she's different, alright. She's a damn vampire! But familiar? I've never met her before._

After that incident, Syaoran tried squeezing in some research on vampires between his loads of schoolwork. He found out that surprisingly, Hollywood movies were more or less accurate with their depictions of these beings. They were nocturnal, and exposure to sunlight would kill them. Their only source of life is blood. They had to drink the blood of human beings regularly or else they would weaken and die. Upon reading that, Syaoran tried imagining the female vampire he met sucking the blood out of a human being's neck, and he just couldn't picture someone who looked like her doing such a thing.

He also read that there were only two ways of killing them. One was through, of course, exposure to sunlight. The other was through piercing their heart with a magic-infused stake. Other than that, they could go on living forever.

As Syaoran walked back to his apartment, he glanced at his watch and saw that it was only 5pm. As he reached his room, he decided to take a short nap before getting ready. After the hell he'd been through that week, any opportunity to sleep was welcome.

x-x-x-x-x

A pale, amethyst-eyed girl sat on a plush Victorian-style couch inside a huge bedroom with a soft, content smile on her face as she expertly sewed and worked on a piece of pink fabric. Her long, wavy black hair cascaded around her, and every once in a while, she had to stop her work to tuck a stray strand behind her ear. She hummed a soft tune as she worked, and at the end of the song, she put down the cloth on her knees and gave her fingers a rest.

"Whatever you're working on looks real nice, Tomoyo." A voice suddenly said near her ear, which made her jump up in surprise.

"Oh!" The girl named Tomoyo stood up, dropping her work on the floor, and turned around. "Sakura!" She placed a hand on top of her chest and took a deep breath. "You scared me!"

Sakura smiled sheepishly and scratched her head. "Sorry, Tomoyo. I didn't mean to scare you like that."

Tomoyo bent down to retrieve the fallen piece of cloth. "It's ok. It's just that I didn't even hear you enter the room or anything, that's all. Although I really should be used to that by now." She giggled and sat down again.

Sakura giggled as well. "Yeah. Anyway," Sakura walked around the couch and sat down beside Tomoyo. "so what is it you're working on?"

At Sakura's words, stars appeared in Tomoyo's eyes and she clutched the fabric in her hands lovingly. "Oh, Sakura, it's another outfit for you, of course!" Sakura sweatdropped. Tomoyo continued, "It's hardly halfway done, though. Oh I can't wait for you to try it on!"

A few moments of silence passed between them, and suddenly, Tomoyo snapped her fingers. "Hey Sakura, you're not.. doing anything tonight, are you?" Although she sounded really happy, Sakura noticed the slight hesitation in her words.

Realizing that Tomoyo was trying to ask her if she was going out to feed that night, Sakura immediately shook her head. "No, no, I'm not going out tonight! Tomoyo.." Sakura placed a hand on top of Tomoyo's. "I already told you before that I only do that once in a blue moon. That's why we have the blood bank, you know." They both laughed softly.

Tomoyo nodded. "Right. So since you're not doing anything…" Tomoyo took both of Sakura's hands and stood, pulling Sakura up with her. "Let's go out and party tonight!" Tomoyo squealed in excitement.

Sakura laughed at her excited friend. "Party! But –"

"Oh, come on, Sakura! It's a Friday night, and it's been such a long time since we've gone out!"

Sakura looked thoughtful. "Well…"

Tomoyo clasped her hands together and put on a pleading face. "Pleeeaassseee?"

Sakura giggled. "Alright, alright! We'll go out!"

"Alright!" Tomoyo jumped in delight.

The next thing Sakura knew, Tomoyo had dragged her inside the room's walk-in closet and was shoving this beautiful, black dress in front of her. "This is my latest creation! It'll be perfect for tonight!"

Sakura sweatdropped. "I'm betting the only reason you wanted to go out tonight was for me to wear this new dress of yours."

Tomoyo smiled. "Not really. But it IS the main reason! Ohohoho!"

Sakura giggled a bit. "I should've known!"

"Anyway, put that on, okay? Then wear these shoes with them." Tomoyo took out a pair of strappy black stilettos from a closet and put it down near Sakura. "I'll go to my room and get ready, too!"

Before Tomoyo could go out of the walk-in closet, Sakura stopped her. "Wait!"

Tomoyo looked back. "Yes?"

Sakura grinned. "Why don't we invite Eriol to come with us?"

At the mention of Eriol, Tomoyo immediately blushed. "Oh, uh, sure. That's a great idea!"

Sakura tried to hide a knowing smile and nodded. "Can you go and invite him? I think he's downstairs inside the library."

"S-sure." With that, Tomoyo left, the telltale blush never leaving her cheeks.

As Tomoyo left, Sakura laughed softly to herself. It was quite obvious that her friend had feelings for Eriol. She'd been noticing it for quite a while now, and she been trying to do things to make them closer. She wasn't quite sure about Eriol's feelings, though, but if her guess was right, then he probably has feelings for Tomoyo too.

Sakura faced the full-length mirror and held the dress up in front of her. Tomoyo was such a great designer. Sakura had no doubts that she would become successful one day. It seemed to Sakura such a wonderful coincidence that she met Tomoyo and became good friends with her. In a way, Tomoyo's kindness and cheerful antics brought back a semblance of her old life, of her old self.. of a time before she even became a vampire.

Tomoyo lived in the mansion with Sakura and the others, but unlike them, Tomoyo was not a vampire. She was just a normal, human girl. She just turned nineteen a few months ago, and she had been living in the mansion with them for six years. Sakura found her one night, six years ago…

_-Flashback-_

As Sakura was walking around town alone, thinking to herself, and the streets were deserted, she heard soft whimpers coming from behind a dumpster in an alley. As she neared the dumpster to investigate, she saw a young girl there, huddled against the wall, trying to look as small as possible, and tears flowing down her face.

It was Tomoyo, who was only thirteen then. At the sight of the poor girl, Sakura immediately frowned. She bent down and talked to the girl softly. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Tomoyo looked up and faced Sakura with her tear-stained face. Suddenly, she fiercely grabbed at Sakura's arm. "M-my mom! They… they k-killed her! Help me, please!"

Sakura's brow furrowed. She squatted down and tried to calm the girl down. "Ssh.. I'll help you, but I think it's better if you go report this to the police first."

Tomoyo violently shook her head. "No! I-I don't want to! Those men will find me.. I don't want to go back! P-please, help me.. just take me anywhere else but here!" Her lips were quivering and her whole body was shaking from crying and fear.

Sakura, not knowing what else to do and feeling sorry for the girl, nodded. "Alright.. I'll take you somewhere safe. Come with me." She stood up and offered a hand to Tomoyo. Sakura knew she couldn't very well jump on rooftops with Tomoyo, so she called Wei using her cellphone and asked for the driver to pick her up.

Once they were inside the car, Sakura found out the girl's name and what happened to her. She felt sad for Tomoyo. Apparently, she and her mother, who was the only immediate family she had, just arrived home that night after eating dinner out. What they didn't know was that two men had broken into their home and were still inside when they got back. Tomoyo and her mother weren't really very rich, but they weren't poor either, and apparently someone took an interest in them. She was about to enter the kitchen where her mother was when she suddenly saw a man lunge from the shadows and stab her mother with a knife. Tomoyo's blood froze and her heart stopped, and for a few seconds she couldn't do anything but stare in horror as the man stabbed her mother again and again.

The moment the man stopped, he turned around and saw her. She ran for the door immediately and heard the man call for his accomplice who was upstairs. She had already turned a corner when they stepped out of the house to seize her and decided to just let her go. Tomoyo ran and ran until her feet gave up. Fearing that the men might still be after her, she hid in the dumpster and stayed there.

Sakura had remained silent the whole time she was retelling the horrid tale, and at the end of it, she reached out to touch Tomoyo's hand and offer her comfort.

"Don't worry.. You're safe now. No one will harm you."

Tomoyo looked up at Sakura, her face still stained with tears. "T-thank you.. for helping me.."

It was a quiet ride after that, and Sakura glanced at Tomoyo to find out that she had fallen asleep. Eriol had come out of the mansion the moment he heard the car pull up to see if Sakura was all right. She hardly ever asked for the driver, after all. Sakura stepped out of the car and saw Eriol there with a concerned look on his face.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

Sakura shook her head and motioned to the back seat of the car. "I'm perfectly fine. However…"

Eriol looked inside and saw the sleeping form of a beautiful, young girl. His brow furrowed in confusion. "Who is she?"

Sakura sighed. "It's a long story, Eriol.. Can you please help me bring her to a guest room?"

"Sure."

Eriol carried the sleeping Tomoyo to a guest room, after which he and Sakura went to the living room to talk. There, Sakura told him everything that happened. Eriol just listened, and at the end of Sakura's story he faced her with some questions.

"So she kept saying she doesn't want to go back? But you do realize we can't keep her here, don't you, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded gravely. "I know that.. When she wakes up, I'll talk to her again and ask her what she wants to do.."

"I don't want to go back.."

Sakura and Eriol both turned to the doorway to see Tomoyo standing there, trembling, but no longer crying.

Sakura stood up and walked over to her. "But.. what do you want to do? You have to tell the police. And.. the house… your mother's body…"

Tomoyo shook her head, a lone tear escaping from her eye. "There's nothing more to go back to…" She looked up at Sakura with a pleading look in her eye, and then at Eriol. "Please let me stay with you with! I'll.. I'll help around the house! I'll do anything! Just please don't make me go back there…"

Sakura turned to Eriol, who was thinking deeply. He felt sad for the poor girl, and he would truly like to help her and let her stay, but what about their secret? He stared at the girl and looked into her beautiful amethyst eyes, which were at the moment filled with fear and loneliness. He looked at Sakura once more and sighed.

"I'll leave the decision to you."

Sakura blinked. "But.."

"Whatever you decide will be fine with me. I'm sure we can think of something to tell the others if you do decide to let her stay."

Sakura nodded, and deep inside she knew she had already made a decision about the girl. She would do anything to help Tomoyo and take away the pain and loneliness she saw in her eyes, because at one time in her life, she felt the exact same way.

"Very well. I guess I could tell them you're my new… personal maid or something…"

A small smile appeared on Tomoyo's face, and she went over and hugged Sakura tightly. "Thank you so much…"

Eriol was standing beside them now, and he looked at Tomoyo grimly. "There is a catch, though…"

That same night, Eriol and Sakura told Tomoyo about what they really were, but they also promised that no harm would ever come to her. As Eriol transformed to give her proof, Tomoyo stiffened, her eyes wide, but surprisingly, she nodded and said that she accepted them for what they were. Sakura and Eriol were even more surprised when the young woman thanked them for entrusting such a secret with her.

It took a while for Tomoyo to get used to living in the mansion. However, she soon realized that vampires were just like humans. The only difference was that they lived a totally different lifestyle. She became fast friends with Sakura, Eriol and the other vampires in the mansion. Because of their wealth, they were able have Tomoyo home-schooled and she had sessions with her teacher every morning. Although Sakura had said that Tomoyo was to be her personal maid, everyone treated her like family and didn't really make her do anything. Tomoyo had felt so blessed and thankful that she had come to live with such nice and helpful people, no matter that they were vampires.

Although Tomoyo was still filled with grief about what happened to her mother, she soon realized that she couldn't keep on dwelling in the past. As she dealt with her pain, Sakura had always been there with her, comforting her and giving her strength. One night, more than a year after the incident, Sakura came up to her as she was practicing her sewing in her room.

"Hi, Sakura! What's up?" Tomoyo stopped her sewing and greeted her friend.

Sakura smiled at her. "I just wanted to see what you were up to."

Tomoyo held up the fabric she was working on. "I'm getting a lot better with my sewing! See?"

"Yeah, you are. That looks great!"

Tomoyo beamed up at her. "This is actually a dress I'm making for _you_, Sakura!"

Sakura blinked. "For me? Wow.. Thanks!"

Sakura watched as Tomoyo continued with her work. A comfortable silence filled the room, and after a while, Sakura decided to speak up again.

She looked at Tomoyo with a smile on her face. "Do you know why I decided to let you stay that night I found you?"

Tomoyo stopped her sewing once again and stared at Sakura. "No, not really.. I've been wondering about that, actually. I just never got around to asking you.."

"Have you seen the painting of the woman in the blue dress inside the library?"

Tomoyo nodded. "Yes, I have. She's a very beautiful woman. Why, who is she?"

Sakura's smile saddened a little. "She's my mother…"

Tomoyo blinked in surprise. "Oh, I see.. Now that I think of it, you do look a lot like her. Well, what happened to her? Is she also a…?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, no, she wasn't a vampire. And I hardly remember anything about her. You see, she died when I was just three years old…"

Tomoyo's face fell at that. "I'm sorry.. I didn't realize.."

"It's okay. It was a very long time ago. I'm telling you this because I want you to see that I know how it feels.. to lose someone you love.." A faraway look crossed Sakura's features as she thought back to the very few bits and pieces of her mother that she could remember. "I felt the same pain you felt, Tomoyo, and I saw it in your eyes that night. I just couldn't bear to let you face that alone. But unlike me, you have so many memories of your mother. Be grateful for that." Sakura smiled at her friend, who now had tears in her eyes. "Treasure these memories, but at the same time, don't let them hinder you from moving forward."

By this time, Tomoyo was already crying. If Tomoyo was very grateful for Sakura before, her words and actions that day made her admire the girl even more. Tomoyo set her sewing aside and hugged Sakura, whispering thank you and crying on her shoulder. Sakura just hugged Tomoyo back and stroked her hair. She knew the young girl needed some sort of mother or at least sister figure, and Sakura promised to herself she would do everything she can to help Tomoyo.

_-End Flashback-_

Now it's been six years since she first found Tomoyo, and she had grown up to be a beautiful woman. Since Sakura and the others wanted her to have a normal life despite living with them, they let her study college in Tomoeda University, where she was currently a sophomore. She and Sakura were like sisters now, and her favorite pastime was sewing clothes for Sakura, which she had become extremely good at in the past few years.

Sakura put on the black dress Tomoyo gave her and wasn't really surprised to see that it fit her perfectly. It had thin straps and a neckline that wasn't too low and revealed just a little amount of cleavage. The upper body part of the dress was skin-tight, and below that the fabrics flowed freely up to a little bit above her knee. As an accent, she placed a silver sash around her hips that made the dress even more beautiful. She put on the black stilettos, looked at herself in the mirror, and smiled.

She put on a minimal amount of make-up, always sticking to just powder and lip gloss, and combed her hair, leaving it down. She picked up her handbag and went to the entrance, where she saw Eriol and Tomoyo already waiting.

Tomoyo beamed at the sight of her. "Oh, Sakura, you look fantastic! I knew it would look good on you!"

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Tomoyo. Yeah, it's fits great! You look really beautiful, too! And Eriol, you're looking as handsome as ever!"

Tomoyo was wearing a dark purple strapless dress that hugged her body nicely and reached below her knees, while Eriol was wearing a dark blue collared shirt with black pants.

Eriol bowed at the two ladies and held out both his arms to them. "I'm so honored to be in the company of two very beautiful ladies tonight." Sakura giggled while Tomoyo blushed, and both of them linked an arm with his. As they went out, Wei bid them farewell, and Eriol took up the driver's seat of the car while Tomoyo sat in the passenger seat and Sakura sat at the backseat.

As they drove out of the driveway, Tomoyo clapped her hands together.

"We are gonna have so much fun tonight!"

x-x-x-x-x

AN: Third chapter done! Liked it? Questions? Comments? Tell me!


	4. A Night Out

Here's the 4th chapter, everyone! I finished it really fast 'cos the story's getting me excited. haha! I don't have everything planned out yet, so I'm still choosing from a range of options as to how the story is gonna turn out. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!

To Shadowkeeper113, thank you SO much for pointing that out! I actually put separators when I was writing the story, but I didn't notice that when I uploaded it, they all disappeared! I fixed it up now!

Chapter 4: A Night Out

Syaoran went to the basement parking level of his apartment building and hopped into his car. Yes, he had a car, but seeing as how the university was just a few minutes walk from his place, he usually preferred to just walk. It was 7:45, so he had 15 minutes to get to their meeting place. He didn't really bother dressing up much. He wasn't out to impress anyone, after all, so he just wore a brown collared short-sleeved shirt and jeans.

He got to their meeting place a few minutes early, but he saw that most of the other guys were there already. He parked his car, got out, and walked to where Yamazaki and five other teammates of theirs were hanging out.

"Hey, Syaoran's here!" Yamazaki grinned and slapped him on the back.

The five other guys were surprised to see him. Syaoran couldn't blame them. He rarely ever went out, anyway. He greeted them and turned to Yamazaki to ask about what they planned to do.

"I dunno.. It's still kinda early. What do you guys wanna do?"

One of the other guys, Hatoshi, spoke up. "Why don't we play some billiards first before hitting the hot spots?"

All the other guys agreed, so Syaoran just shrugged. They walked through the busy streets and went inside a pub to play billiards and get a round of drinks. Syaoran, being the boy who was good at practically everything, beat them easily. They killed time playing billiards, talking and joking around, and drinking. Around 10pm, Yamazaki glanced at his watch and asked the others if they wanted to go someplace else.

It seems the other guys had plans of hooking up with some girls that night, so they decided to go to the nicest bar/disco where a lot of cool people hang out. At least it was near the area where they parked their cars. If anyone got too drunk, they wouldn't have to be dragged so far. Syaoran sighed. It wasn't that he wasn't enjoying himself, but the last time he went to such a place he spent almost all night warding off incessant females asking for a dance or simply trying to flirt with him.

They entered and sat down at the bar. After a few minutes his companions started disappearing into the crowded dance floor one by one, scantily clad women in their arms. Already, a few women had tried getting his attention with less-than-subtle glances. He leaned back and just watched the dance floor as he took a swig of alcohol. Yamazaki was still beside him, scanning the area and thumping his fingers to the music.

"Havin' fun?"

Syaoran shrugged. "I'm good."

"You know, you should go dance with someone! Just look, so many cute girls!" Yamazaki said while pointing to the dance floor.

"No thanks."

"Come on, man! You gotta lighten up!" Yamazaki scanned the room, trying to find some cute girl for Syaoran. Suddenly, he raised an arm and pointed at someone on the dance floor. "How about that girl over there! The one wearing the purple dress! She's got some nice moves!" Yamazaki narrowed his eyes to take a better look at the girl he was talking about. "And if I'm not mistaken, she goes to our school!"

To try and stop Yamazaki's pestering, Syaoran looked at whomever he was pointing at. He took another swig of his beer and was going to tell Yamazaki he wasn't interested when his eyes came upon the other girl dancing beside the one in the purple dress.

He almost choked on his beer.

x-x-x-x-x

Sakura stared out the car window in deep thought, hearing only bits and pieces of Eriol and Tomoyo's conversation. Her thoughts were on a certain amber-eyed boy.. For the past few days since she saw him, she found her thoughts always straying and picturing him in her mind. She couldn't help it. If he truly was who she thought he was (and she was almost a hundred percent sure she was right), then her long wait was finally over…

That night she met him, she didn't really leave after she disappeared from the alley. She had followed him back to his house, making sure she hid her aura and staying out of sight. She found out that he lived in an apartment not far from Tomoyo's school, so she assumed that that was where he studied. She was meaning to ask Tomoyo if she knew him, then she suddenly realized that she didn't even ask for his name! She didn't know if his name was still Xiao Lang. _How stupid of me!_ And so she postponed asking Tomoyo about him for another time.

She visited him again once during the week, very late at night. She dropped down onto the metal railing of his balcony without a sound, and hid behind the curtains that were drawn halfway. She took a peek inside Syaoran's room only to see him crouched in front of his computer, fast asleep, books and papers scattered all around him. Sakura smiled and stared at him for a while. She would have loved to go inside, but the sliding glass doors would create too much noise. And so she just stayed there staring at him for a few minutes, then she left as quietly as she had come.

"..was really delicious, wasn't it, Sakura?"

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts as she heard her name and turned her head to face Tomoyo. "What?" She blinked.

Tomoyo giggled. "You were spacing out! I was saying, the dinner Eriol cooked the other night was really good, wasn't it?"

Sakura smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Anyway, yeah, Eriol's a really good cook, you know!"

Eriol grinned. "I guess I should cook more often, then!" They reached an intersection and had to wait for the stoplight to turn green. "So anyway, where exactly do you two wanna go?"

Tomoyo tilted her head and placed a finger to her cheek, thinking. "Well, there's a nice place near Temple Bar called Red Loft. Great crowd and great music. Wanna go there?"

Sakura nodded. "If you say it's nice, then sure! Let's check it out."

They parked their car and entered the bar. Already, some guys were eyeing the two beautiful women, and Eriol glared at them and unconsciously placed a hand at the small of Tomoyo's back. Tomoyo blushed at that, but thankfully the lights were dim so no one could see.

The moment they entered the place, Sakura was surprised to feel his familiar presence nearby. She didn't think at all that she might see him here tonight. She smiled to herself. _I guess I'll finally get the chance to introduce myself properly._

They found a table near the dance floor and ordered some drinks. While the two girls got tequila shots, Eriol ordered a bottle of beer for himself. As Sakura and Tomoyo downed their shot, the music changed to a song Tomoyo really liked. She took Sakura's hand and dragged her to the dance floor. She invited Eriol to dance, too, but he declined. And so she and Sakura went to the middle of the dance floor and danced. They were both very good dancers, and very beautiful at that, so it was natural that some guys would try and dance with them. However, the two girls just told them off and giggled to themselves. Since they were having a lot of fun, they kept on dancing to a few more songs.

It was while they were dancing that Sakura suddenly felt intent eyes on her. She knew it was him.

She scanned the dance floor but didn't see him, all the while still dancing with Tomoyo. She looked around the tables, then the bar…

…and their eyes met for the briefest moment, and Sakura knew he recognized her. She turned back to Tomoyo and continued dancing, a knowing smile on her face.

x-x-x-x-x

"Hellooo? Earth to Syaoran!"

Syaoran blinked and turned his head to face Yamazaki, who was waving a hand in front of his face. "W-what?"

"You ok, man? You spaced out there!"

Syaroan nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Anyway, I'll go see what Kyo's up to. You coming?" Yamazaki said as he picked up his drink.

Syaoran shook his head. "I'll stay here."

As Yamazaki left, Syaoran returned his gaze to the dance floor, but he could no longer find the girl anywhere. If he wasn't mistaken, she had seen him, too. _Where'd she go..?_ He tried scanning the bar for any sign of her or her friend, but the place was too big and there were too many people. He sighed and took another gulp of beer.

"I didn't think I'd see you here." He heard a soft, angelic voice speak from beside him. He knew that voice. Surprisingly, he could hear her soft voice clearly despite the loud, blaring music.

Syaoran turned his head to look at her, and for a few seconds all he could do was stare. If he thought she looked beautiful that night they met, tonight she was simply mesmerizing, with her auburn locks framing her delicate face and that heavenly smile set upon her lips. Maybe it was something vampires could do to humans – entrancing them the way he knew he was at that moment. However, she looked and acted just like any normal girl, and no one in the bar would ever have thought they were in the presence of a vampire.

He snapped out of his thoughts and spoke to her. "I don't come here often." Despite all his thoughts about the girl in front of him, his features remained passive and blank.

"Really? Me too." Sakura stood beside him and stared at the people on the dance floor. It seemed Syaoran wasn't going to say anything, so she decided to finally introduce herself. "By the way, my name's Sakura. Kinomoto Sakura." She held out her hand to shake his.

_Sakura.. Cherry blossom. It suits her._ Syaoran thought.

He looked at her outstretched hand and took it. _Her hand is so cold. _"I'm Li Syaoran."

Sakura's eyes widened a bit when he said his name. "Li? You're a Li?"

Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Why? How do you know about us?" _Could she possibly know about our magic?_

_He's from the Li clan, the descendants of Clow Reed.. I didn't know.. _She didn't know if she was going to be thrilled or worried about this new piece of information. However, she couldn't show him that. Thinking that it would be okay to ask about his clan since Syaoran knew about her secret, she said, "The Li clan is very influential and powerful. And I'm not just referring to your businesses and wealth."

_I knew it. She knows something about us. _With this new information, Syaoran suddenly turned cold and glared at her. "What do you want with us?"

Sakura blinked, noticing Syaoran's change in attitude, and waved her hands in front of her. "I don't want anything from your clan! I just know that you and your family have had a long line of sorcerers. You're magic-wielders, right?"

He took hold of her arm in a tight grip, but she didn't flinch at all. His amber eyes burned into her emerald ones as he stared at her, trying to find answers. "Who told you this?"

"You shouldn't be grabbing me like this in such a place, you know." Syaoran looked around and saw that a few people were staring at them. He let her go, but didn't stop glaring at her. "Now. Tell me. Who told you about our clan?"

"I've lived for a long time, Li. I've met a lot of people and I know a lot of things. A long time ago, I met some of your ancestors." She stared into his eyes and saw that he was debating with himself if he should believe her or not. She frowned. "Please believe me, Li. I never had any sort of quarrel with your family. Just because I'm a vampire with powers doesn't mean I'm out go get you and your family, you know."

He kept silent, and she pouted and continued speaking. "Besides, don't you think it's only fair that I know this bit of information? After all, you know _my_ secret."

He still wasn't talking. He was just glaring at her, but Sakura wasn't about to back down. She smiled brightly at him, and Syaoran could see the sincerity and truth in her eyes.

"Trust me.", she said.

Syaoran sighed. "Very well. I guess we're even now."

"Thank you." Her smile brightened even more, if that was possible. "So, tell me, can you wield magic too, Li?"

"Yeah."

Sakura waited for him to elaborate, but she supposed he still didn't really trust her enough to disclose any more information to her. She understood how he must feel, so she ceased any more questions she had in her mind and left them for another time.

Silence came over them for a few seconds. Suddenly, he remembered the confusion he felt because of her words when they parted ways the first time they met, and he decided to ask her about it.

"Hey, Kinomoto, when you left that night.. you said it was nice meeting me _again_. What do you mean 'again'? Have we met before?"

"Oh.. Did I say that? No, I don't think you've met me before. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to confuse you. It's just that you remind me of someone.." He noticed her eyes soften considerably at those words. "I was probably mixing you up with that other person."

Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "Who? An ancestor of mine?"

"Actually, yes.." Then she added, "Oh, and you can call me Sakura."

"Okay.." Syaoran nodded, although her explanation only brought more questions in his mind. Did she have close relations with his ancestors? Why would she mix him up with someone who was dead? _Whatever. That's her life. And why am I talking to her anyway! I have no business with vampires!_

"So, are you here alone?"

Syaoran shook his head. "I'm here with some friends, but.." He looked over at a table and saw some of his friends talking and drinking with a group of girls. "..they're a bit preoccupied at the moment."

Sakura followed Syaoran's line of vision, saw the group of people he was looking at, and giggled. Syaoran sighed. His friends won't be finished flirting with those girls anytime soon. _I might as well leave now. _He took one last gulp of his beer and paid for it. He turned back to Sakura to say goodbye.

"Listen, I – "

"Since you're not doing anything, Li.." She suddenly grabbed his arm and started pulling him, which caught him off guard and surprised him. "..I'll introduce you to my friends!"

"What…?"

x-x-x-x-x

When Sakura said she had to go to the bathroom, Tomoyo went back to Eriol and sat down beside him. He smiled at her as she sat down and offered her a glass of water.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself a lot."

Tomoyo took a sip of water and leaned back on the chair. "Whew. Yeah, that was fun! How about you? Are you having fun?"

Eriol nodded. "Of course. I haven't gone out with you and Sakura in a while, and it was nice watching the two of you dance. You're a good dancer, you know."

Tomoyo blushed and started fiddling with the glass of water, suddenly finding it very interesting. "T-thanks."

Ever since Tomoyo started living in the mansion, Tomoyo had always looked up to Eriol. At first, when she was still a young teenager, she felt that it was just some silly crush she had for him. Just like Sakura, he was always there to help her out and cheer her up. Not only was he handsome and kind, he was very intelligent as well. Sometimes, he would spend the whole night inside the library reading books. All in all, he was just the kind of guy young teenagers like her got infatuated with.

However, now that she was older and more mature, she'd come to realize that her feelings for him had grown deeper than just a silly crush. She cared for him deeply, and she had never felt this way before for anyone else. Whenever he and some other vampires went out at night when they felt something was wrong, she would find herself pacing incessantly inside her room or the living room, hoping for their safety and waiting for their return even up to the wee hours of the morning. And when they did return, she would greet him with a look of relief, and he would walk up to her with that heart-melting smile on his face, pat her head affectionately, and say that she shouldn't be staying up so late just to wait for them because she had school in the morning.

She loved being with him, talking with him, hearing him laugh, and seeing him smile. She didn't care that he was a vampire. She truly liked him a lot, and lately, she'd been wondering and asking herself if these feelings she had were really just like, or _love_. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but she was afraid. Afraid that he would reject her. Afraid that he would tell her he thinks of her as just a sister, and nothing more. So she kept her feelings to herself, being content at the moment to spend time with him.

She was suddenly startled out of her thoughts when she felt Eriol's cold hand touching her cheek. She stiffened and stared at him wide-eyed with a blush forming on her cheeks, while he just smiled at her.

"There's something on your face." He said as he wiped whatever it was away. She sat there, transfixed by the feeling of his touch. He was done wiping it away, but his hand stayed there, touching her cheek a second longer. As he removed his hand, the expression on his face changed, and he looked as if he wanted to say something to her.

Tomoyo waited for him to say something, but whatever he wanted to say he didn't get the chance to since Sakura came back at that moment, and both Tomoyo and Eriol had to raise an eyebrow in question when they saw her clutching the arm of a boy.

"You're back, Sakura. Who's your friend?" Tomoyo asked as she stared as Syaoran intently, finding him to be somewhat familiar.

Syaoran stood beside Sakura as she made the introductions. "Eriol, Tomoyo, I'd like you to meet Li Syaoran. Li, these are my two friends, Eriol and Tomoyo."

"Hi." was all Syaoran said as Sakura sat down and made him sit on a chair beside her.

"Hello, Li!" Tomoyo greeted happily.

"Nice to meet you." Eriol said to Syaoran as he stared at the new boy. _A Li, huh? _He glanced at Sakura with a questioning look.

Sakura saw the question in Eriol's eyes, so she said, "Li's the guy that helped me out a few nights ago. Remember the incident I told you about?" Eriol nodded his head and proceeded to take a good look at Syaoran. _So he's the one.. And he's a Li. What a coincidence._

"Ooohhh.. So _you're _the knight in shining armor!" Tomoyo giggled softly and Sakura joined her, scratching her head. "Yeah, I guess you could say that.."

Syaoran, noticing that Sakura's two friends seemed perfectly aware of what happened that night, leaned closer to Sakura and whispered, "So are both of them also…?"

Sakura smiled, knowing he would ask that question. "Eriol is, but Tomoyo's a normal girl, right, Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo giggled. "Yeah, as normal as I can be considering I live with vampires." The three laughed while Syaoran just listened to them, surprised to hear that Tomoyo lived with them.

"You live with them..?"

Tomoyo nodded. "Yes, I do! I've been living with them for a few years now."

"I see.."

"You know," Tomoyo said, facing him. "you look kinda familiar. Do you, by any chance, go to Tomoeda University?"

Syaoran nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm a sophomore there. You study there as well?" Tomoyo nodded. "Yup! I'm a sophomore too! Too bad we don't have classes together." She suddenly snapped her fingers and pointed at him. "Ah! I know who you are now! You're that popular soccer player! The co-captain, right?"

Syaoran fidgeted in his seat at that, uneasy about the fact that he was the topic of conversation and Sakura was staring attentively at him with those bright emerald eyes of hers. "Uh.. yeah.."

Sakura spoke up. "Wow. You must be really good at soccer, then!"

He didn't know what to say to that, so he just kept quiet and stared at a glass of water on the table. He didn't want things to get any more awkward, so he stood up, the three of them looking at him as he did so.

"Look, I gotta go. It was nice meeting all of you." He started to leave when he heard Sakura call him. He turned around and saw that Sakura had stood up and walked over to him. He was surprised to see a hint of anxiety in her eyes.

"You won't tell anyone about us.. would you?"

Syaoran smirked, realizing why she looked a bit distressed. He shook his head. "I won't, as long as you don't tell anyone about my family. Besides, no one would believe me anyway."

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Li. And I promise I won't tell a soul."

He nodded and left, leaving the three to stare at his retreating form. Eriol glanced at Sakura, and although her back was turned to him and he couldn't see her face, he knew she was still staring at Li as he said goodbye to his friends and left the place.

He didn't see the look of worry that passed through Sakura's eyes. _I finally find him again, but…_ _he's a Li. Why are things getting so complicated?_

"So that's him, huh?" Eriol asked.

Tomoyo joined in. "He seems okay, although it would be nice if he talked a bit more."

Sakura turned to them with a bright smile on her face. "I'm sure he'll warm up to us soon."

x-x-x-x-x

A woman walked briskly but noiselessly through a dark, empty hallway and stopped in front of a large wooden door. She knocked three times and waited.

"Enter.", a deep male voice commanded from inside the room.

The woman entered, closing the door silently behind her. The room was completely dark, with only the moon visible from the window as the only source of light. There was a large desk at the center of the room, and behind it, a tall man stood facing the window with his hands crossed on his chest. The woman stood in front of the desk and never took her eyes off the man.

"My lord, I have done as you asked. The two are on their way and will be arriving in a few days."

The man didn't move at all. "Very well. You may leave."

The woman bowed and left the room.

The man was alone inside the room once again, and he continued staring out the window. He tilted his head up and gazed at the moon, which illuminated his blood red eyes. A small, wicked smile appeared on his face.

"Soon, Sakura…" He whispered. "I will take it from you."

x-x-x-x-x

AN: What's that guy gonna take from Sakura? And is Sakura hiding something? All these and more in the following chapters!


	5. Escapade

Yay I finished the 5th chapter! Some SxS moments in this one. Please tell me what you think of this chapter! Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: CCS is not mine!

Chapter 5: Escapade

Sakura sat on the edge of a big, wooden, four-poster bed with immaculate white sheets. She was inside her underground room, having woken up just fifteen minutes ago. Looking at the clock, she knew the sun had already set hours ago and it was safe for her to go outside, but she didn't feel like it yet.

She stared at the glass she held in her hands and at the red liquid swirling inside of it. Thanks to the blood bank, she and her friends didn't have to go out every night and kill people just to feed. However, she remembered finding it strange at first, drinking blood from a glass. She had laughed humorlessly back then. While normal people drank a glass of milk everyday to stay healthy, she had to drink a glass or two of blood.

As she finished it off, she stood up and placed the glass on top a small table beside the bed. Sighing, she plopped back down onto the soft bed and stared at the plain, white ceiling.

Her underground room was huge. Besides her bed and desk, the room was filled with antiques, artifacts, and other precious things that had sentimental value to her. All these she had collected over the years. To her, these things served as a reminder of the changing times.. of all the people she had met.. of all the things that happened to her.. of all the hardships she had gone through..

Although the way she acted towards her friends was more or less how she truly was during the time when she was still human, she had changed a great deal since then. She couldn't have survived in this world for so many years by being the innocent, carefree girl that she was. She had been such a loved and overprotected little girl back then, and being turned into a vampire exposed her to the harsh realities of life.

Becoming something that humans condemned and hunted down, she learned to survive. She learned to lie, to deceive people, to strengthen her physical and magical powers and use it against others, and…

…she learned to _kill_.

She would never forget the first time she ever killed a human to feed. She had only turned into a vampire a few days prior, and on that day, she found she could no longer control her bloodlust and urge to feed. Her vampire instincts took over and she preyed on the first person she could see. It was a young man – a young man who had been her friend.

The moment she realized what she had just done, her whole body trembled in fear and self-loathing. Her dead friend's ashen face had been engraved into her mind since then, and for many years afterwards, she always had nightmares about it. She felt an emotion that night that she had never felt before. Hate. Hate for herself. Hate for what she was. Hate for the man who made her what she was.

However, an act that initially sickened and disgusted her soon became a normal, nightly routine. She had little choice in the matter, anyway. It was either she kill and feed, or she dies. In a way, being a vampire made her create an alternate persona. She became cold, dark, and wicked – a far cry from her true self – but deep inside was still hidden the sweet, smiling girl she was so many years ago. It was only fairly recently, as she, Eriol, and some others got settled in Japan about one or two hundred years ago, did she start showing more of her old self again. She supposed the establishment of the blood bank also had a lot to do with her change, since it meant she hardly had to kill anyone anymore.

Lastly, there was Tomoyo. She was such a bundle of happiness, much like she had been during her human life. She was grateful for Tomoyo's entry into their lives because she provided a breath of fresh air in the mansion. Also, Sakura found a trustworthy and dependable friend in her. To the other vampires who had only come to live with Sakura recently, Tomoyo opened up the beautiful side of Sakura that they had never seen before.

In the recent years, their lives had been relatively peaceful, and she liked that. She liked seeing Eriol and the others happy and content. However, it now seemed as if this peace and calm was slowly being shattered…

Aidan was surfacing again…

And Syaoran….

Sakura opened her eyes to stare at the white ceiling once again, ending her short trip down memory lane. She shifted her position and lay down on her side, hey eyes lazily scanning her room. No one else had ever entered this room; she would not let them. It was both her personal refuge and prison. It was a place where she felt truly safe and free to let loose her emotions, and it served as her means of escape when the world outside was taking its toll on her. However, at the same time, it bound her to a past that she simply could not let go of. It was an ever-present reminder of the pains she went through and would surely go through in the future.

This was the reason why she didn't want anyone else to enter her room. She feared that it would reveal too much of herself. Although she tried to be as honest as she could be with Eriol, Tomoyo, and the others, there were just some things – some secrets – that were best kept to herself.

Sakura finally stood up from her bed and shook her head. She shouldn't think about such things right now. She had to be her cheerful self. Besides, she knew Eriol had been noticing the slight change in her attitude since they went out the other night and met Syaoran at the bar. She knew he'd ask her about it sooner or later, but as much as she'd want to, she couldn't tell him what was troubling her. She didn't want to worry him or anyone else.

That in mind, Sakura went out of her room and ascended a long flight of stairs. At the end of it was a door, which was actually a closet door in her 'real' room in the mansion. She proceeded downstairs and made her way into the library, but on the way there, she came across Derek, another vampire who stayed in the mansion with them.

Derek, like Eriol, was originally from Europe. Sakura had met him during her travels in that continent years after meeting Eriol, and the three of them had become allies of sorts. Derek had been turned into a vampire at an older age than Eriol and Sakura, so he acted as some sort of big brother for the two of them. He was a Caucasian with a tall, strong frame, pale skin, blonde hair that barely touched his shoulders, and light blue eyes.

At the moment, those light blue eyes were staring affectionately at Sakura as he smiled at her. "Hello, Lady Sakura."

Sakura sighed, although her expression was still filled with mirth. "I guess no matter how many times I tell you not to call me 'Lady Sakura', you really won't listen, will you?"

Derek shook his head. "It's only proper, you know."

Despite having such a light and happy demeanor, Derek was a stickler for manners and good conduct. He called her Lady Sakura even though he truly didn't have to. They had known each other for so many years, after all, but he really wouldn't stop it.

"Anyway.. What's up?"

"Actually.." Derek paused. "I need to talk to you about something. Would you like to take a walk in the garden?"

Sakura wondered what it was he had to talk to her about. She hoped it wasn't anything bad because she thought she saw a flicker of worry pass through his eyes. Slowly, she nodded her head. "Okay.. Let's go."

They walked in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't until they walked past the fountain that Derek decided to speak up. He continued walking, but his face was turned to her with a concerned expression.

"Eriol tells me he's been worrying about you."

_I knew it. _Sakura blinked and tilted her head, feigning confusion. "Worried? About me? Why?"

Derek shrugged. "He says you've been acting a little differently lately. He feels as if you're hiding something, Lady Sakura." He had a question in his eyes.

Sakura shook her head. "I'm not hiding anything, Derek. And if I'm acting differently.. I've just been tired lately, that's all."

His brows furrowed in concern. "Have you been giving yourself enough nourishment, my lady?"

"Of course!" She placed a hand on his arm in reassurance. "Derek, don't worry about me. I'm perfectly fine! I'll tell this to Eriol as well."

Derek nodded his head. "Very well. However, there is something else I wanted to ask you."

"Sure. What is it?"

"You know I love traveling, don't you, Lady Sakura?" Sakura nodded her head. She knew perfectly well Derek's passion for traveling. He sometimes left their house for years on end and visited so many different places. She had already told him long ago that he didn't need to ask permission from her, but he always did, and she always said yes.

"I am planning to go to South America this time. Even with all my travels, there are still so many wonderful places there I haven't visited."

Sakura smiled. "You know I won't stop you, Derek."

"Thing is.. when Hoji and Allen found out about my plans, they said they wanted to come with me."

This bit of information surprised Sakura. "Really? I never knew those two wanted to travel, too." Hoji and Allen were the two other vampires who lived in the mansion with them. Like Derek, she had known them for a long time and was good friends with them. "Go then, the three of you! I'm sure you'll have lots of fun having two companions with you, Derek!"

Derek sighed, and suddenly stopped walking. Sakura stopped as well and frowned, wondering why he looked so worried.

"But Lady Sakura.. I don't think it's a good idea to leave only you and Eriol here in the mansion. You said that Aidan has attacked you twice in the last two months."

It was true. Before Aidan's attack last week where she met Syaoran, he had done the same thing a month ago. Eriol and the others knew that Sakura and Aidan hadn't been in good terms ever since before any of them met her, and all Sakura told them was that Aidan was an evil man. They had no idea why Aidan was suddenly showing himself and attacking Sakura, but Sakura knew the reason perfectly well.

"Yes, he has." Before Derek could say anything, Sakura held up a hand to silence him and continued, a serious look on her face. "Derek, I know his sudden attacks have made you and the others worry, but I can take care of myself. Trust me. Aidan does not scare me at all."

"But – "

"When were you planning to leave?"

"A week from now."

Sakura kept silent for a moment, then smiled up at Derek. "Alright. Let's make a deal. If Aidan attacks anytime within the week, then fine, you three can stay. But if he doesn't, then stop worrying about me and go on to South America."

Derek seemed to be thinking about it, so Sakura stood in front of him and held out a hand to shake his and seal the deal. "Okay, Derek?"

"Alright." Derek shook her hand and smiled.

Sakura motioned towards the mansion with her head. "Now why don't you go back and tell Hoji and Allen about this?"

"You're right. What about you? Aren't you coming back inside?"

Sakura shook her head. "I'll stay here a little longer. The breeze feels so nice, and the sky looks so beautiful tonight."

Derek nodded and went back to the mansion, leaving her there as she gazed up at the beautiful night sky. Because of the mansion's isolated location at the edge of the city, there were no bright city lights to hamper her view of the multitude of stars. She gazed up at them, hoping to find comfort in their brightness and beauty.

_I want to see you right now.._

She walked back towards the mansion, where she saw Wei standing near the glass doors. He greeted her a good evening, and she smiled at him.

"If they look for me, tell them I went out."

She had been walking briskly, and when Wei turned around to ask where she was going, she was already gone.

x-x-x-x-x

Syaoran leaned on the metal railing of his balcony and gazed up at the clear night sky, enjoying the slight breeze that touched his bare chest and ruffled his already messy hair. He hated the fact that the city lights obscured his vision of the stars. Back in the Li mansion in Hong Kong, he had loved gazing up at the stars after a hard day of training. His mother always told him when he was a little boy that their ancestors looked down upon and guided them from up in the heavens. So whenever he stared at the stars, he silently prayed to his ancestors for guidance and strength to endure all the training he had to go through.

However, at that moment, all he could think about as he gazed at the twinkling stars was how they resembled the shining emerald eyes of Sakura. He had been thinking about her constantly since he saw her again at the bar the other night. As a matter of fact, he had a _dream _about her just a few minutes ago. A slight blush formed on his cheeks as he recalled his dream for the umpteenth time.

_x-x Syaoran's Dream: x-x_

_Syaoran stood on top of a hill that overlooked a beautiful ancient-looking city filled with houses made of clay and stone. A little farther away in the distance he could see a marvelous, castle-like edifice that towered over everything else and in front of it were two gigantic bronze statues that were as tall as the building itself. He squinted his eyes to get a better look of the statues, and he noticed that the one on the right was a statue of a female dancing and holding some sort of circular object in her hand. The one of the left was a man holding a long staff in one hand and a scroll in the other. He looked around him and saw a lone tree beside him on top of the hill. All around him and the city below were vast fields and forests. _Where am I?_ He placed a hand on the tree's trunk, which was when he noticed his odd clothes. He had on some sort of loose, green sleeveless shirt that reached just above his knees, and inside that was a white, long-sleeved shirt that was covered by metal gauntlets on his arms. He was wearing loose white pants that were also covered by metal shin guards. On his waist was a brown belt where a huge sword was attached. _

What the hell…?

_Suddenly, he felt two warm hands cover his eyes from behind, and he felt his heart suddenly beat faster at the touch. He heard a heavenly female voice giggle from behind him. Slowly, he raised his hands and took hold of the ones covering his eyes. Then, he turned around to see who it was, and his eyes widened in surprise._

Sakura..?

_He knew it was Sakura, but her hair was a lot longer and her clothes looked strange, too. She was wearing a pink, off-shoulder, long-sleeved dress that reached past her knees and accentuated her body nicely. What was odd about it was the patterns and designs on the hem of the dress and near the neckline. He looked up at her face then, and saw her gazing lovingly at him with those entrancing emerald eyes of hers. He felt himself rooted to the spot, unable to do anything but stare back at her, his heart thumping madly in his chest._

_His heart started thumping even faster, if that was possible, when she reached out and caressed his cheek with her warm hand. _

_"I missed you.."_

_As if his senses hadn't been rattled enough, she suddenly took a step forward to close the distance between them, leaned up, and kissed him on the lips. All other thoughts seemed to disappear from his mind, and all he could think about what how warm and soft her lips were against his, and how it just felt so _right_. He found himself kissing her back, an unknown passion suddenly igniting from deep within him. Her lips tasted like the sweetest strawberries, and he couldn't seem to get enough of it. _

_He was leaning against the tree now with Sakura's hands on his shoulders and his on her tiny waist. After a while, she drew back and gave him a light peck on the lips before resting her head against his chest, sighing contentedly. Syaoran, who was still in shock and couldn't believe what he just did, just stayed still as he breathed in deeply, trying to calm his racing heart._

_Sakura looked up at him with her loving eyes and heavenly smile, and all he could do was stare back at her breathtaking beauty and the happiness and innocence he could see in her eyes.. She leaned up again, but this time to kiss him on the cheek, and then she whispered silently in his ear,_

_"I love you, Xiao Lang…"_

_x-x End Dream x-x_

Syaoran woke up from the dream right after that. He sat up on his bed panting heavily. The dream had felt so real. He touched his lips, as if still feeling them tingle after that kiss. _What the hell was that?_ He couldn't believe he just had a dream about Sakura. About a _vampire_.

He couldn't go to sleep again after that because every time he closed his eyes, he saw her. He saw her beautiful emerald eyes and rosy lips. He gave up trying to sleep even though he knew he needed it since the following day was a Monday, which meant he had classes in the morning. He got out of his bed and made himself a cup of coffee. He looked at the wall clock in the kitchen and saw that it was just 1am.

So here he was now in the balcony, sipping a cup of coffee. There was hardly any sound to be heard since the whole town was fast asleep. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Syaoran felt a faint magical aura nearby. He put down his coffee cup and looked around him, surveying his surroundings for anyone or anything that might have emitted that aura. He looked to the left – nothing there. He looked to the right – nothing there as well. He looked to the left again and almost jumped back in surprise when he saw Sakura leaning against the balcony railing, smiling good-humoredly at him as she noted his surprised reaction.

"W-what the hell are you doing here!" Syaoran stammered. The minute he saw her there, images of the dream he just had came rushing back in his mind. _No, no, no! STOP thinking about that damn dream!_ And so he stopped thinking about the dream Sakura and focused his attention on the real Sakura, who was standing in front of him at the moment. She looked as beautiful as always, wearing a simple long-sleeved dark blue shirt and black pants. As he glanced at her clothes, he suddenly remembered his lack of clothing. He was wearing boxer shorts and nothing else, and he couldn't stop a small blush from forming on his heated cheeks. Dreaming about her and _then_ seeing her here while he was half-naked? It was just too much.

"I just wanted to… Are you _blushing?_" Sakura asked as she leaned forward to get a better look at his face, but he stepped back.

"N-no! Now what do you want!"

Sakura giggled, guessing the reason for his slight blush. "You don't have to be embarrassed around me. Anyway, I just came here to see how you're doing. I actually didn't expect you to still be awake. Are you finishing stuff for school?"

Syaoran just shook his head.

"Oh okay.. So why are you up so late?"

_BECAUSE OF YOU!_ Syaoran wanted to shake her, shout at her, and tell her to get out of his head, but all he said in a monotonous voice was, "Can't sleep."

"Why? Been having nightmares, Li?"

_HAH!_ _Nightmares? More like the best dream I've had in years….. Wait a minute. I did NOT just think that! _Sakura, who was unaware of Syaoran's mental debate with himself, just stared at him expectantly. Inwardly, Syaoran was cursing and shouting at himself for thinking such a thought, but outwardly, all he did was say, "No. Just can't sleep."

"You're not much of a talker, are you?"

"And you just don't stop talking, do you?"

Sakura smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I just wanna be friends with you, you know."

Syaoran raised an eyebrow at that. "And why would you want that?"

Sakura shrugged. "I just like being friends with people I meet. Is that so bad?"

Syaoran leaned back on the railing again and stared at her. "It's just weird that you're a vampire and you're so friendly. Most people wouldn't put 'vampire' and 'friendly' in the same sentence, you know."

She stared at him in mock-amazement. "Wow, Li, that's probably the longest I've ever heard you speak!", she teased and just giggled when he glared at her. "Yeah, it's sad that we've been stereotyped as being dark and evil. But now you know that not all of us are like that!"

"Yeah, I guess.." Silence came over them, and Sakura just kept smiling at him. It was making him feel uneasy, so he decided to talk. "So what do you want?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to see you."

Syaoran's heartbeat sped up a little when she said that, but he couldn't understand why. Sakura stared at him and tried to read any emotion that passed through his eyes, but he still had his guard up. She came to his apartment expecting him to be asleep, and she really just wanted to see him. So it was such a surprise to her when she jumped onto the rooftop of an adjacent building and saw Syaoran wide awake here in his balcony. She had stayed there for a while, simply admiring him – his chiseled, muscular body, his ruffled, chestnut hair, his deep, amber eyes… It was only when she realized that he had noticed her aura did she decide to come over and talk to him.

"What for?"

Sakura pouted. "Does everything need to have a reason, Li?" She walked over to him and put her hands to her hips. "You know, you really need to learn to lighten up."

Syaoran just raised an eyebrow. "Do I?"

"Yeah." Sakura ginned, an idea forming in her head. "As a matter of fact, why don't I give you a lesson right now?"

Syaoran stared at her in confusion. "What?"

"Come on!" Sakura took his arm and dragged him inside his own room. "Put some clothes and a coat on. We're gonna go somewhere."

Syaoran stared at her as if she had grown another head. "What! Are you crazy? Where are we gonna go at _one-thirty a.m._?"

"Just trust me!" Sakura said, but he was still shaking his head. "Aw come on, Li! Where's your sense of adventure?"

Syaoran let out an exasperated breath. "No way. You're inviting trouble by going out at this ungodly hour."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "If you haven't noticed, Li, I'm a vampire. I'm completely capable of protecting myself. And last time I checked, you're a pretty powerful sorcerer yourself. You must be, if you were able to detect my aura a while ago."

Syaoran was still looking at her incredulously, and Sakura decided to stand in front of him and put on her best puppy-eyed look. "Please?"

Syaoran sighed again and finally gave up. "Fine." She just looked too cute to say no. _And when did you start thinking that she's cute? Pull yourself together, man!_

The moment he agreed she jumped up and hugged him, and Syaoran stood stiffly as he felt her arms encircle him and her hands touch his bare back. He turned beet red from the action although the hug only lasted for two seconds. Sakura let go of him and said sorry for her impulsive actions. Then, she just stood there waiting for him to dress up, but she noticed he wasn't moving at all.

"Why aren't you dressing up?", she asked.

"Maybe if you'd _leave _my room and wait _outside_ I can dress up?"

"Oh!" Sakura giggled sheepishly. "Hehe. Sorry. Alright, I'll wait outside."

Sakura went out and closed his bedroom door behind her. The hallway light was turned on, so she was able to walk towards what she assumed was his living room. She found the light switch and turned it on. Sakura smiled, happy that she was able to see his apartment. His living room was so neat. _Too neat_, she thought. There was hardly any personal touch to it besides an abstract painting she saw hanging on a wall. She walked over to his bookshelf and scanned through the books he had there. _School textbooks, books on business management, martial arts.. He even has books on magic, and… What's this?_ Her eyes fell on a very old-looking book, but what caught her attention was the symbol drawn on its spine. _It's Clow Reed's magic circle.._

Before she could touch the book and take it out of the shelf, Syaoran appeared from the hallway dressed in casual jeans and a plain green shirt. He saw her looking over his bookshelf, but since he didn't need to hide the fact that he knew magic, he just let it go. He leaned on the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Now do you mind telling me where we're going?"

"I'll tell you later. Umm… You have a car, right?"

Syaoran raised an eyebrow and smirked. "What if I don't?"

Sakura shrugged. "Then I guess I'll have to carry you like a sack of potatoes so we can jump over rooftops." She watched Syaoran's expression as it changed from a smirk to a glare and she laughed. He walked over to the center table and grabbed his car keys, exhaling exasperatedly. "Fine. Let's go."

Sakura just clapped her hands together and smiled. She followed him out of his apartment and they used the elevator to go to the basement parking level. He opened the passenger side door of his black sports car for her, and she smiled at him in thanks. Sakura sat down on the plush leather seat and admired the car's interior while Syaoran walked around the car, opened the door and sat down on the driver's seat. He took a glance at her and saw that she had already put her seatbelt on and was happily waiting for him. As he turned on the engine, he sighed once again and mumbled,

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

x-x-x-x-x

AN: So where are Sakura and Syaoran going? Find out in the next chapter!

Also, just to clarify, the very first part wasn't meant to completely expalinSakura's past. I know it must've been a bit confusing. There's a whoooole lot more that happened in the past, and you'll find out in due time!

Please review! Thank you!


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